The Lafayette women's basketball team aims to right the ship after losing five of its last six contests, most recently a heartbreaking four-point defeat at the hands of Rider. The Leopards host the Pitt Panthers (5-1) on Saturday afternoon inside Kirby Sports Center.Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The Leopards (2-5) trail the overall series with the Panthers, 0-2, and lost an overtime thriller in their last meeting, 74-69, on Dec. 31, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Homan led the Leopards in scoring with 18 on 6-of-16 shooting, and pulled down 10 boards. Her counterpart, Fiacco, snagged 14 rebounds and poured in 14 points for the Leopards on the low block. Rider's Sironda Chambers led all scorers with 24 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and draining all five of her free throws.

Lafayette went 25-for-73 from the field in the contest, a 34.2 percent mark. The Leopards shot 6-for-14 from the three-point line, their most productive night of the season so far. On the other side, Rider went 25-for-61 from the floor, but made just two of its 11 three-point attempts.

NOT IN OAKLAND ANYMORE

After dropping its season-opener to Youngstown State, the Panthers have ripped off five-in-a-row, defeating William & Mary, Siena, Wagner, Brown and most recently, Longwood on Monday evening. Sophomore Brianna Kiesel dropped a career-high 27 points against the Lancers, en route to the 86-60 victory.

Kiesel and Asia Logan lead the Panthers from the floor, averaging 11.7 and 17 points per game, respectively. Logan and Chyna Golden crash the boards for Pitt, averaging 8.5 and 5.5 boards per contest.

From the floor, the Panthers are 152-for-386, a 39.4 percent mark. Pitt shoots 28.6 percent from three-point range and 69.4 percent from the free throw line, draining 86 in 124 attempts.

ROAMING THE SIDELINE

Lafayette head coach Dianne Nolan enters today's matchup with a career record of 538-462 and a 21-46 mark in her third year at Lafayette. On the other side, Pitt head coach Agnus Berenato is in her 10th season with the Panthers and 29th year overall. Berenato holds a career record of 440-393 and is 157-129 at Pittsburgh.

EAST SIDE, STRONG SIDE

Saturday's game will mark the third and final Big East opponent Lafayette faces this season, as it fell to Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J. on Nov. 11, 60-54, and dropped its third game of the season to Villanova, 73-34. Pittsburgh will be a formiddable test for the Leopards, as they were picked to finish tied for 13th with Seton Hall in the 15-team conference. Villanova was picked 10th in the Big East Preseason Poll.

Lafayette Athletics, as a partner in the mission of the College, provides an incredibly effective learning experience for student-athletes through competitive NCAA Division I athletics. Lafayette sponsors 23 varsity sports with more than 600 student-athletes.